


You Can't Love Me Back

by PeppDream (Pep_Pizza)



Category: Dreamwastaken, GeorgeNotFound - Fandom, Minecraft (Video Game), dreamnotfound - Fandom, gream
Genre: All Magic Comes With a Price, Angst, Bad does not approve, Bad is a matchmaker, Best Friends, Crushes, Deal with a Devil, Denial of Feelings, Flirting, Fluff, Friendship/Love, Gay, Isekai, LGBTQ Character, LGBTQ Themes, Love Confessions, M/M, Minecraft, Oblivious, Plot Twists, Reincarnation, Swearing, Teasing, Unrequited Crush, badboyhalo is a demon, dreamnotfound, george dies oop but dw it's only temporary, implied kissing, reborn with memories intact
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-09-02
Updated: 2020-09-09
Packaged: 2021-03-07 01:35:43
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 9
Words: 10,441
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/26228791
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Pep_Pizza/pseuds/PeppDream
Summary: As George lay dying in his arms, Dream makes a wish and a demon appears before him.So Dream is given the second chance he wants... but it comes with a catch.
Relationships: Clay | Dream & GeorgeNotFound (Video Blogging RPF), dreamnotfound - Relationship
Comments: 159
Kudos: 1007
Collections: ⁿᵒᵇᵒᵈʸ ⁿᵉᵉᵈˢ ᵗᵒ ᵏⁿᵒʷ





	1. Deal with the Devil

**Author's Note:**

> My first DNF fic! I love the ship so much, it was only a matter of time before I wrote something.
> 
> A reminder that this is a work of fiction...! Characters are based off of real people and there are a lot of scenes based off real occurrences but, in the end, they are not those actual people. Be respectful of other people's ships~
> 
> I hope you enjoy the read!

“Fuck… George, no. George, why did you do that?!”

There his best friend lay in his arms, coughing up blood. Dream hadn’t been paying attention — someone had snuck up behind him, and George had pushed him out of the way. Dream felt his life flashing before his eyes as the sword went straight through his best friend.

God… it was all his fault. If he paid better attention, if he had convinced George to stay behind, then…

“I’m so sorry, George. I-I swear you’ll be fine,” Dream can feel the panic rising inside him, swallowing him like a black pit. Why isn’t the blood stopping? Why was the puddle endless? “We’ll get you fixed up in no time. You’ll be fine. You’ll live, you have to, you _have_ to—”

“Dream.”

His voice, strangled but familiar, snapped Dream out of his haze. Dream hadn’t realized it, but tears had begun to slip out of his eyes without his knowledge. It leaked past under his mask, pitter-pattered onto George’s front.

He knew the truth. George wasn’t going to make it. “George, I—”

His best friend smiles. “It’s okay,” he says weakly. Tears are forming in his eyes too. One of his hands brush the front of Dream’s mask. It’s a silent favor. A last, dying request.

“N-no, it’s _not_ okay!” Dream shouts. He fights, keeps fighting, because he can’t accept it. “George, you _dying_ is _not_ okay!”

“I would do it again,” his friend replies, closing his eyes, “If it was for you…”

Fuck. No. Dream buries his head in George’s front. His shoulders are shaking. “You’re so stupid. You’re so…”

He coughs. “Dream…”

Dream bites his lip. He knows what George wants, but he’s afraid to give it. He’s afraid it means accepting that it’s the end for his best friend. He doesn’t want to do that.

“Dream, please.”

Dream swallows. Then, he raises his arm and takes his mask off.

George blinks at him. Sees Dream before him in full, mottled hair on his sweaty forehead, face pale with fright, and tears falling like waterfalls from eyes of the oddest shade of yellow. The most brilliant mix of yellow.

“You’re beautiful.”

Dream chokes on a sob. “George, you…” He laughs a little. “You idiot.”

He moves a strand of hair away in front of Dream’s face. George looks… happy. “Thank you.”

Dream’s front is now covered with sickly blood, but he doesn’t care. Dream hugs George tightly, feels as the life ebbs away from his best friend. “I-I love you.”

“I love you too.” It’s barely a whisper.

“No, you don’t— you don’t understand.” Dreams backs up, looks George in the eyes. “I’m _in love_ with you.”

“I-I know.”

Dream blinks blankly. “What?”

Their faces meet. Despite the fact that battles are raging around them, they’re still surrounded by peace. They’re surrounded in their own bubble, that no one could disrupt. It was their last piece of quiet.

But the peace shatters. George gives a final shudder, and then he’s still. George, his best friend, who’s always been there for him, who’s been by his side for so long. George, who he’s been in love with for years. George… now breathed no more. 

_There was no happy ending here_.

Slowly, Dream stands up. Blood that isn’t his drips into the already giant puddle under his feet. The village in front of him is burning, raining fire. It’s chaos. But, god, he still can’t wrap his head around it. He doesn’t remember what he was fighting for. He can’t find himself to care about anything now.

“Dammit! Goddammit! Fuck!”

Anger is searing through him. Dream quietly puts his mask back on. “In our next life,” he promises, “I’ll find you, George. I swear it. We’ll be together again.” 

Anyone looking at the scene wouldn’t have known the pain Dream had just gone through. The ominous smile on Dream’s mask doesn’t give away anything about his owner, eerie as ever.

The sky is swamped with grey clouds. The fires start to die out as a drizzle begins. It starts out light, but quickly drenches Dream so that it mixes with his tears. 

Dream turns his head upwards. The sky is crying. “If there’s a god out there, give us some pity. George didn’t deserve this. He deserves more. He deserves everything.” His fists clench. “Please listen, whoever’s up there. Listen to me! Give us a second chance! Please!”

The world trembles. Suddenly, a bright flash of light appears from the sky. Thunder strikes the ground in front of Dream. From amidst the smoke, a hooded figure appears with a smirk.

Dream takes a hesitant step back when he sees the horns sticking out under the hood. “...a demon?”

The devil’s forked tail wags in confirmation. “Aren’t you happy to see me?” He teases, “You asked for me and I came.”

“But… you’re Bad.”

“Like you cared who it was that’d come to your rescue,” the demon huffs smugly. “Sure, I bet you were expecting an _angel_ to come help, but do you really have the option to be picky? I’m willing to give you the second chance you want, after all.”

This perks Dream’s interest. He can hardly control the hopeful tone in his voice. “You better not be lying to me.”

“Why would I?” The demon rolls his eyes, beginning to circle Dream like a wolf. “Listen, I’m doing a favor for you. The chances of you two being reborn into the same universe, much less the same world, aren’t even high. But I can fix that! I’ll plunk you two down into the same dimension and even let you keep your memories so you two can meet each other. How’s that sound?”

Dream sucks in a breath. This was it. This was exactly what he wanted, the opportunity he needed. But… “What’s the catch?”

“Ooh, aren’t you a smart muffin?” The demon nears Dream’s mask and smirks. “Your best friend will be straight.”

“...what?”

“You heard me!” the devil laughs. “He’ll never love you. Do you still want to see him?”

Dream’s heart is beating rapidly, because he already knows his answer. There _was_ only one answer. And now, he wasn't afraid of anything.

“Yes.”

“I knew you’d be up to it,” the dark entity smiles with his fangs. “The contract is made, then. Come on! Let’s get you going!”

“N-now?!”

“There’s no time like the present!” the demon cackles mischievously.

The world around Dream begins to fizzle away like static television. George’s body, lying on the ground, also quickly disappears from Dream’s eyes. But it was okay. This was okay.

_I’ll be seeing you soon. I’ll find you for sure._


	2. But Not In The Same Way

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Oh my god. Dream feels like crying. He knows it’s Dream and not Clay feeling this, because Clay wouldn’t cry from a call from his friend. Clay would laugh, say thank you, maybe poke fun at his friend for calling him when he could’ve just texted.
> 
> But when Dream hears George’s voice, his heart squeezes with love.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So... I've actually already finished this fic, lol. Which means I'll be uploading a new chapter every day. Subscribe if you want to be updated, ahuhu~ ^_^

On Clay’s 20th birthday, he remembered something. Something _really_ important. 

But back up a second here. Who is Clay?

He’s no one that special, really. He lives in Florida with his mom. He didn’t go to college, but he likes working on software and programming. He’s posted about a dozen minecraft videos on youtube for fun, all with varying amounts of success. Because of his love for minecraft, he’s made a couple of good online friends. Like, he’s been friends with Sapnap for a couple years now. And George, who he met on someone else’s server.

And this was where Clay remembered the really important part.

All the memories of his past life suddenly slammed into him with the force of whirlwind. Memories belonging to _Dream_. Playing tag around the village with his best friend. Leaving home to embark on an adventure. Fighting numerous monsters with George by his side. Returning home to find their village in flames. Fighting away the invaders and bandits. And George… George, who saved him. And the deal with the demon.

He’s alive. He’s been reborn.

It’s too much to process. Clay groans as he rolls out of bed. He catches sight of himself in the mirror. He doesn’t look like himself. No, he doesn’t look like… Dream? But isn’t Dream him? Isn’t he Dream?

His hair is dirty blonde, a small change from his previous life’s exact blonde. His eyes are still green, too. But an addition, the splash of freckles across his face, makes Clay grin. Okay, he was kind of cute.

As quickly as the smile appeared, it disappears. Just who is he? He still has his memories as Clay, but Dream’s have suddenly been inserted and now he doesn’t know. He’s aware his youtube channel is called Dream, but was that just an uncanny coincidence? Or had his subconscious just always known who he was deep down?

And… George. Is the George he knows really the George from his past? Of course, there’s no way of proving it. Dream’s name changed to Clay in this world, after all. What would be the chances of his George keeping the exact same name?

Clay hears ringing. Instinctually, he reaches his arm out to his desk to grab his phone and answer the call. His heart shudders with delight when he sees the caller ID.

“Hello?”

“Happy birthday, Dream!”

Oh my god. Dream feels like crying. He knows it’s Dream and not Clay feeling this, because Clay wouldn’t cry from a call from his friend. Clay would laugh, say thank you, maybe poke fun at his friend for calling him when he could’ve just texted. But when Dream hears George’s voice, his heart squeezes with love.

It feels like he hasn’t heard that voice in ages. Honestly, he thought he never _would_ hear it again. It’s a little different with the accent from his hometown, but it’s definitely him. Dream would recognize George’s voice anywhere.

 _Thank you, whoever it was that heard my call. For giving us this second chance_.

“...Dream?” George prompts when Dream hasn’t replied.

Clay gets ahold of himself. “Er, thanks. Thanks, man.”

“Uhm… Are you okay? You sound like…” _like shit_ , Dream finishes the sentence in his head.

“I’m fine, you just _woke me up_ is all.”

“What?” Followed by a George-giggle only George could make. The sound makes Dream smile. “How are you still asleep?”

“You’re five hours ahead of me, of course I’m still in bed!”

“...Well! Then maybe get up _earlier_ so you’re awake enough to appreciate my birthday congratulations?”

Clay can’t help wheezing at how George phrased his request like a question. “Or you could’ve just called me later?”

“No, I _can’t_ , I’d… I’d be busy later!”

“Aww too busy to even wish me happy birthday? I’m so hurt, George~”

“I-I…” He can tell George is getting flustered on the other end, “I’m wishing you happy birthday now, aren’t I?”

Dream laughs. Digging through his memories, he knows Clay has a tendency to say the occasional provocative statement in order to rile up George. Clay had done it because he found it funny, but Dream thought George’s reactions were… endearing.

“You’re so _dumb_ Dream.” When Clay laughs more, George continues, “You’re actually so annoying. Here I am wishing you happy birthday and you go making fun of me…”

“Psh, I’m not! You _started_ it.”

“Well,” his friend grumbles, sounding pouty, “you complained about me waking you up—”

Clay laughs. “George, you’re so dumb. Of course I’m happy you wished me happy birthday. I’m not upset.” 

The two talk for a while longer, exchanging a couple more short banters. Dream was tempted, so tempted, to ask George to facetime him. He wanted to see his face, to compare this world’s George to _his_ George. But he knows Clay would never ask for something like that, so he holds back his tongue. 

“Alright, I need to go eat,” George says.

Dream blinks, looks at his clock. They’d been talking for a while, but it felt like no time had passed at all. He had George back now, and he wanted to keep talking to him, afraid he'd disappear again if he let him go. But… there would always be a next time. Dream had all the time in the world now.

“Okay. Bye~ Love you!” The words had slipped out of Clay’s mouth before he even registered what he was saying.

“Love you too,” George replies, so nonchalantly that it makes Dream’s heart skip a beat. “Talk to you later!”

The call ends. Clay stares at his phone for a thick second before collapsing back onto his bed.

Clay closes his eyes, draping his arm over his face. Now that he has Dream’s memories, it’s different saying those words. It means something else now, when they say that so lightly.

“ _Love you too_.” George’s words echo in his mind.

 _But not in the same way_ , Dream thinks bitterly, _You love me, but not like I love you._

_But I could never tell you now. Because there’s no way you’d feel the same._

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A quick note that I'll be switching between the names Dream and Clay a lot. Yes, it's a bit confusing, but it's necessary to distinguish the past and present Dream, if that makes any sense. Thanks for understanding~ lol


	3. Just Tell Me You Love Me

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Okay, I’ll… say it. I’ll say it! Just give me food, and I’ll say it.”
> 
> Dream didn’t know why he was suddenly anxious. This was his idea, after all. He was getting what he wanted.
> 
> “You ready?” George asks again.
> 
> "...Yeah."

Nothing changed much after Clay’s 20th birthday revelation (though Dream found it weird and unfamiliar to walk around without a mask on). He still talked to George normally, played minecraft with him, fought in bed wars, coded fun plug-ins, and integrated his friend into his videos. Dream silently hoped that with enough exposure, George would give his face reveal sooner rather than later. 

Although Clay hadn’t seen George’s face yet, he knew enough. Dark hair, brown eyes. Dream’s George was like that too, but hair of a lighter brown. Left-handed. Also, a height difference between them of 6 inches. Dream had also been taller in their previous life, but it hadn’t been that big of a gap. And even the color-blindness… Dream had hoped George could finally experience color, but it seemed that even the isekai gods weren’t that kind.

And interestingly enough, a lot of George’s personality had carried through. Their friendly banters, calling each other idiot out of fun, George’s screams when something scared him. Even his ability to deal with Dream’s bullshit. This was his best friend, no doubt about it.

Clay was pretty well-versed in minecraft, having started playing at a young age. Clay was good at minecraft, but Dream was a _god_ at it. He wasn’t sure why… maybe it had something to do with his experiences in his past life? Having fought in so many near-death experiences, he figured his reaction time was better or something. Clay was also kind of wild; he liked to make rash and reckless decisions. But Dream was kind of wild too, so he thought they mixed perfectly. Clay _was_ Dream reborn, after all.

He and George spent plenty of days running through those minecraft fields, fighting monsters together, and defeating the Ender Dragon. Dream appreciated these times the most; they reminded him of the adventures he had with George in his past life. 

It could definitely be considered an improvement from their previous life: the dangers of death weren’t actually real, their treks through forests and need to hunt for food were now just virtual problems, separate from their comfortable gaming chairs. But Dream also missed the adrenaline. He missed solving real-life problems with George, and their bond growing stronger from bypassing life-threatening conflicts together.

But, oh well. Minecraft was probably the closest thing he could have, after all.

▂▃▅▇█▓▒░ ⛏(・◡・) █▇▆▅▃▂

Clay’s channel was nearing a million subscribers. It’s definitely growing way faster than he thought it would. At this point, he can feel that he’s definitely on his way to stardom. It was a bit strange. Dream had only ever needed George’s attention, but Clay seemed to crave validation from a larger audience. It wasn’t bad. Just… different. Sometimes he forgets that this world’s standards aren’t the same as his previous life. 

He’s got plenty of videos already, but George is just starting out. He’s proud of his friend, and is more than willing (and maybe even a little honored) to join his first couple videos.

Just proud and honored. Nothing else. He knew the consequences of thinking more, so he crushed it with all that he could. He couldn’t afford to feel more.

But during their gameplay, Clay gets an idea. And hell, he can’t stop himself. They’re recording, aren’t they? The audience will see this. Not doing anything would just be a lost opportunity. And it’s so much fun to tease George, who gets shy on camera. It’s hilarious to see him get flustered when he tries expressing affection. Just a little bit of joking around wouldn’t hurt anyone, would it?

“I don’t know how—” George stops mid-sentence. “Okay, _wow_.”

Clay (or was it Dream?) laughs. He and George are sharing one inventory slot, and because Dream’s standing in front of a chest, he gets the privilege to add and remove whatever he wants.

“You’re welcome George,” Clay chuckles. He had removed George’s sword and put a romantic red rose into their shared inventory slot. He couldn’t help it — he’d jokingly given George a rose in their previous life before, and Dream was curious to see if his friend’s reactions would be the same.

“Okay, can I have the sword Dream?!”

“Say that you love me~”

“Dream!” He can hear the panic in George’s voice. “Please. Stop.”

“Say ‘I love you Dream’.” As his teasing went on, George’s refusal only made Dream want to hear it more. “Say it!”

“No! I’m not saying it! If we recorded forever, I’m not saying it…”

Dream snickers. “George say it, _say it_! You’re never going to get your sword back, or food, or anything George.” He knows he’s totally got him cornered.

“Dream, I’m going to _die_ , and the video will be over, and—” he makes an annoyed throat noise.

Dream is smiling. “I have it on the floor, the sword’s going to despawn~!”

“No, pick it up! I-I need blocks!”

“Say it!”

“I-I…” George gives a flustered wheeze in obvious reluctance. “I can’t, I can’t… Just give me a block! One stupid block!”

“Geoorge,” Clay wheezes, barely able to hold in his laughter, “Geoooorge…”

He continues to laugh as George shouts in surprise from every mob he passes, completely unable to defend himself. When he acquires anything from a chest, Dream just takes it away and replaces it with another rose.

“Dream! I need food, _please_.”

“I need food, I’m really hungry, I can’t even sprint!”

“Okay, I’ll… say it. I’ll say it! Just give me food, and I’ll say it.”

Pleased that he had finally gotten George to cave in, he obediently put what George needed into their shared inventory. 

“Okay… you ready?”

Dream didn’t know why he was suddenly anxious. This was his idea, after all. He was getting what he wanted. Maybe it was because they were on camera? Maybe because he’d put so much focus on it, that it was no longer just a light-hearted comment?

“You ready?” George asks again.

“Yeah?” Was it just Dream, or was he imagining the nervous tone of his friend?

And very quietly, George says it. And Dream is happy. 

Even though he has no right to be.

▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ ・◡・ █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂

Later, Dream watches George’s video and realizes he cut the confession short mid-sentence.

Well, maybe this was for the better.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So just a heads-up that there's going to be a lot of irl references like this in future chapters, and I'll be trying my best to timeline things correctly, but if an inconsistency ever pops up we can just pretend I did it on purpose~ haha
> 
> Btw here's the video that's referenced, if you're curious: https://youtu.be/h-_IyxDHqsE?t=305


	4. If Only These Weren't Jokes

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> *hi this is your son's boyfriend*
> 
> What the actual fuck.

It’s January already. Clay’s channel had already reached a million in December, and though the congratulatory love from their audience was amazing, he thinks that he has a lot more potential left to give.

He tries to make some plans with George about meeting up, but it never really comes to fruition because of the coronavirus. Dream knew he shouldn’t have kept his hopes up, but he did anyway, and now he just feels disappointed.

When Clay goes about his daily life, he often forgets that this isn’t _his_ life. That this is just a new world his soul was plopped down into. That the minecraft Dream, with that poorly-drawn goofy face, isn’t the _Dream_ Dream. It’s eerily similar to the mask he owned before, probably due to another unconscious thought process of Clay’s. But it’s not the same.

It’s only when he goes to bed, staring at his ceiling, that the Dream inside him comes out to torture his brain. He’s caught in a constant fight between thinking and not thinking about his past. But of course, not thinking about it only leads to thinking about it.

Cuddling with his George on sleepless nights. 

Crying into George’s shoulder.

George’s tear-filled eyes as they said goodbye forever.

He misses it and hates it. He wants to reminiscence, but it hurts. He knows nostalgia will only make him wish for things he can’t have.

His fingers trace his lips, and then his hand falls away and he closes his eyes.

▂▃▅▇█▓▒░ ⛏(・◡・) █▇▆▅▃▂

A few months later, Dream has more than 2 million subs. He’s pretty proud of himself. Maybe it was the manhunts, or their witty ideas, or the dynamic he and George had. Either way, it felt pretty good to accomplish something because of his teamwork with his best friend. It felt much like revisiting what he had in the past.

But however much Dream tries, there’s one thing that doesn’t change: he can’t hide his affection for George. 

He lets slip multiple times that he loves George. And multiple times, he puts his friend on the spot and asks him to say it back. Which is no problem, of course. Friends can say that, and it’s fine. If anything, it seems to make the fans happy, so Dream uses that as his excuse to get away with it. Over and over again.

When George finally decides to stream on Twitch for the first time, it lasts for three hours. Badboyhalo and Clay join in from the beginning. (Dream thinks something is odd and familiar about Bad, but he can’t quite place why.) Already, the chat floods with requests from the audience for George to say he loves Dream. 

“Just say it!” Bad had encouraged.

“Well, you don’t _have_ to,” Dream added teasingly, “but… it’ll make me _cry_ if you don’t.”

George mumbles something about killing a chicken, then responds dismissively, “No, it’s… fine. We can move on.”

“Say it~” Bad continues to chant in the background as George talks. It’s clear George wants to move on, but Dream is secretly glad that Bad’s here to back him up and pester George.

“George… Bad, he just doesn’t love me.” Dream puts a pout into his words, wondering if it’ll rile up the chat more. “It’s whatever.”

“It’s okay,” Bad suddenly inserts, “I love you.”

Dream smiles and shakes his head. If only George could be as compliant as Bad. “Love you too.”

“Aww thank you.”

The chat floods with exclamations of disappointment towards George. Donations continue to follow, asking George to tell Dream he loves him. Their conversation continues, with Bad trying to convince George to say sweet nothings to Dream on-stream. Dream finds it amusing listening to someone else trying to get George to ship them together. It gives him this odd sense of satisfaction that he can’t quite explain. Almost like, he was happy they were getting recognized?

Even though it wasn’t real?

His emotions were so confusing.

As George wanders around wasting his time, Dream had already begun to build a base in the middle of a lake. Dream helps lay down the foundation for their base, starts the basis for a farm, and begins building the walls. Sapnap joins the stream too and, to Dream’s chagrin, wastes all his iron to make an iron golem. Somewhere in the middle of the the building process, George off-handedly calls him Clay.

“...WHAT.”

George sniggers at his reaction, then continues to giggle as Dream expresses his confusion. Dream doesn’t think his reaction is an exaggeration. Clay… wasn’t really his name, after all. It was just a placeholder. It felt strange for George to call him something that wasn’t him. 

“Should I just start calling you Clay from now on?”

“...no.” Dream’s George, the one in their past life, only knew the name Dream. For George to call him Clay was like admitting this world’s George wasn’t Dream’s George. It felt… weird and awkward.

“Why not?”

“I don’t like it,” Dream confesses. It’s like he’s mixing up the two Georges, and he knows they’re the same person, but it’s still different. It’s still not the same.

“...why?”

Dream pauses, biting his lip, wondering if he can disguise his discomfort with wanting to hide his ‘real name’. “I dunno. I don’t.”

“Alright…” he can hear George stretching, “guess I won’t do it then.”

The rest of the stream goes well. Their fans are interactive and ask a lot of things. When prompted with what George would ask for if he could have anything in the world, he answers he’d want a plane ticket to Dream’s house and a permanent room there. (Dream brushes it off, but he’s glad he doesn’t do facecams because he knows he wouldn’t have been able to hide his blush.)

Sometime after Callahan joins, Dream leaves the Teamspeak. Although he doesn’t want to leave George, wanting to listen more to his friend’s voice, he was tired and didn't want to stretch his limits. 

But about thirty minutes later, Clay sees his mother laughing and shaking her head: “This is so funny!”

Clay tilts his head. “What is?”

She smiles mysteriously. “Your boyfriend is texting me.”

Clay stares in confusion until he suddenly remembers giving his mom’s phone number to George in a previous video where he lost a series of minecraft tag. “Oh my god,” he blushes. “What is he saying?!”

His mother refuses to tell him, to his annoyance. Clay rushes to his room and pulls up his phone. George is, thankfully, tweeting what he’s doing: **_She replied… HELP._ **

Again, Dream can’t stop the blush when he sees the image attached to the Tweet. It’s a short exchange with George telling Clay’s mom he’s his boyfriend. God, it’s obviously a joke. George is straight, after all. It’s just a joke, it’s not serious… right?

Dream dials George’s number, the phone almost slipping out of his hands because of how sweaty he is. It rings a couple times, but George doesn’t pick up. He calls him again. Still no response. 

...What the hell? Why wasn’t he answering?

He tries one last time. 

“Hello?”

“GEORGE! You—”

Dream blinks down at his phone. Did he just… George literally hung up on him! But why? What the hell was going on?

Scratching his head in frustration, Dream decides to watch the stream on an alt account to see what’s going on. (He wasn’t going to join the stream again — he’d already left after all.) He was just going to go figure out what George and the others were up to.

A few minutes later, and he’s got the gist of it. Sapnap and Callahan were helping George figure out what to text his mom, and it was just a joke. Obviously. Dream suddenly felt… stupid. For even hoping it could’ve meant something. He closes the stream and flops into bed. 

About half an hour later of restless turning, Clay’s phone rings. After some shuffling around, he grabs his phone and glances at it. Then frowns. _George?_ Why was George calling him? Before he can decide whether or not to answer, the call ends. And then it’s ringing in his hand again. Dream hesitates only a second before answering.

“Dream.”

Dream suddenly feels tired. So tired. “What.”

“Um,” a nervous chuckle on George’s end. “Have you spoken to your mum?”

Hm, George must still be streaming. “Yes.”

His friend giggles. He clearly found this whole thing funny. Irritation prickled at the back of Dream’s neck. “What did she say?”

“...she won’t tell me what you’re texting her.” Not that it mattered. Dream could rewatch the stream later and find out.

George giggles again. “Wait, she didn’t question and ask you why you have a boyfriend now?”

“ _No_ , she _knows_ you’re kidding,” Dream lies.

“Oh.” A beat of silence. Then, “Umm, okay. Well, guess what? She sent me a photo of you.”

Clay pauses. Freezes. This was something Clay and Dream had in common, after all: both of them didn’t like to show their face. “...You’re just lying. That’s so random? You’re lying.”

After a few more exchanges where George attempts to convince him he’s not lying, he vouches to send the picture as proof. The Dream inside him is kind of excited, because maybe George got to see his face? Still, Clay doesn’t think his mom would betray him like that. Or, he’s pretty sure she wouldn’t. It didn’t really make sense.

So when he scrolls to the chat and looks, he can’t help wheezing at the stupid picture. _This_ made way more sense. “Th-that’s a _baby_ !” Clay laughs, “I thought— I thought you were gonna send a _recent_ photo. I’m like, _four_ or something.”

George ends up laughing with him. He tries to ask Clay a couple times if he can show it on the stream, and although Clay is against it at first due to his irritation with George’s jokes, he eventually relents when George insists after doing a successful coin flip. 

He just knows he’s weak for George, probably. Doing favors for _George_ … was something Dream couldn’t say no to.

▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ ・◡・ █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂

 **George** _@GeorgeNotFound_ ・Mar 31

 **Happy to announce that** **_@DreamWasTaken_ ** **and I are getting married in 2021! 🎉**

Dream blushes again.

Fucking hell.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I realize Clay should have a girlfriend, but for story's sake, he doesn't have one in this fic xD
> 
> Video referenced: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BTCg08-v9Rk


	5. Would You Marry Me?

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “...WHAT. George!”
> 
> “What, I think it’s a good idea!”
> 
> “Marrying you?!”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> DID U GUYS SEE THE NEW 4V1 MANHUNT??? ASFJSADJFLHASLDKFJAHSDKJFHAS  
> IT WAS EPIC GO CHECK IT OUT ok I'm done lol

So… George is actually kind of cute. Actually, _really_ cute.

He’s on the skinnier side, kind of lanky. His eyes are always mischievous, sometimes shiny when he tells jokes, squinting when he’s really happy. And he has the dorkiest smile. George is definitely different from what Dream remembers. In their past life, George had a larger frame, and a slightly wider face. Not all their features got passed on to their reborn selves, but George is still George. Dream would probably still like him even if he looked nothing like how he did before.

He’d been a bit surprised at first when George decided he’d be willing to give a face reveal for their next livestream. Clay couldn’t understand how George could be brave like that. Even in his past life, Dream could never show his face behind the mask. Some things just never change.

When they play together, Dream keeps a screen open where he can see George’s stream on an alt account. There’s no way he’ll miss out on seeing his friend’s reactions live.

It’s proven to be totally worth it. When the chat requests George to tell Dream he loves him in exchange for fifty dollars, his friend turns visibly pinker. God, Dream loves it when George gets embarrassed. Watching him deflect makes Dream feel all sorts of fuzzy inside. (Dream’s already long decided he can’t stop his feelings, so he’s just been letting himself loose.)

Interestingly enough, George’s avoidance only causes the chat to become all the more insistent on his confession. This badgering continues on and on, throughout their entire hardcore minecraft livestream.

When the chat finally manages to get George to say it through a loop-hole, Dream laughs until his lungs hurt. George sheepishly complains about the mistake, but Dream’s happy. He loves George. He loves their fans. He loves playing minecraft.

Dream should be objective about this. Why does it matter if George doesn’t like guys? Dream lived basically all of his previous life without ever telling George how he felt. This time was (almost) the same. He could more than handle doing that again, easy.

Yeah… he’s perfectly happy with this. This is enough.

▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ ・◡・ █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂

 **Dream** _@DreamWasTaken_ ・May 20

 **aww** **_@GeorgeNotFound_ ** **❤️ ❤️ 😍**

_ <video attached> _

**George** _@GeorgeNotFound_ ・May 20

**isle of dream**

▂▃▅▇█▓▒░ ⛏(・◡・) █▇▆▅▃▂

George slips up a lot more during their next livestream when reading out donations, so Dream gets a cluster of free love (which he’s more than willing to accept). They still continue to joke about what their fans have labeled as “Gream.” They bounce around the subject a bit, with Dream mentioning how his mom makes fun of him for it, which earns some laughter from George’s side.

“Do I like where I live?” George reads the donation messages out loud, “I guess…? Yeah, it’s alright.” He chuckles. “I don’t know, I haven’t lived in too many other places, so I can’t tell if I would prefer elsewhere.”

Dream clears his throat. Oh no. He can’t stop himself: “You’d prefer here, trust me.”

“...why’d you think that?” George smiles from his facecam. His ears are pink.

Dream’s stupid mouth opens: “Because _I’m_ here?”

“Oh… okay.” Following a nervous laugh, “Then fly me out already.”

Dream bites his lip, and smiles. _God_ , if only George knew how much he wanted to do just that.

▂▃▅▇█▓▒░ ⛏(・◡・) █▇▆▅▃▂

“...WHAT. George!”

“What, I think it’s a good idea!”

“ _Marrying_ you?!” Dream can’t hide the surprise in his voice. Just because Skeppy suggested it as a way for George to get a visa to America, he didn’t think George would continue to actively pursue it after the stream. “George, what are you…”

“C’mon, think of all the benefits!” His friend actually sounds excited, “I get to come to America, get a green card—”

“George, _no_.” Dream’s heart is beating rapidly. He so badly wants to agree, say: _yes, let’s please get married_ , but who the hell is he kidding? He fakes a laugh, “George, we can’t. Go find some other way.”

“But you can just marry me, right?” His friend plows on, still not backing down (much to Clay’s irritation). “If you ever want to actually marry someone else, then we can get a divorce...!”

Oh… right. Even while joking, George looks at it objectively. There was, exactly, zero romantic undertones to this.

“No, you idiot,” Dream replies, disliking the prickle of discomfort climbing up his back, “I’m _not_ marrying you.”

“Just marry me!”

“ _No!_ ”

“MARRY ME.”

Dream pauses, unable to stop the flush climbing up to his cheeks from such a bold declaration. “Oh my god, George, you’re so stupid. Just stop it.”

But his friend doesn’t stop begging, continuing to list reasons despite Clay’s refusal to accept. It goes on for fifteen whole minutes, and unknownst to George, Dream had to struggle to keep his unaffected act up and his tone even during the entire conversation. 

_If only George meant it,_ Dream thought bitterly, feeling tears prickle at the edges of his eyes, _If only this wasn’t just some stupid joke._

▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ ・◡・ █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂

_“Dream, would you marry me?”_

_Clay laughs. “I would not.”_

_“Wow.” Bad deadpans, pretending to sound hurt. “Seriously, am I not good enough for you?”_

_“No, it’s that…”_

_“Answer me this then!” Dream can hear the mischief in Bad’s voice even before his next words come out: “Would you marry George?”_

_Dream’s heart stuttered. “...eh…” He debated lying. “...maybe.”_

_“WHAT! YOU’D MARRY GEORGE??? BUT NOT ME?!”_

_“I said_ maybe _,” Dream quickly defends himself, panicking a little, “I’d have to think about it.”_

_“You’d have to THINK about it—” Bad sputters, “I wasn’t even THINKING about it?”_

_Dream grits his teeth. “Well, if he was a_ woman… _” he lies._

“ _Oh my goodness.” Bad shouts in disbelief, “I—! I’m banning Dream.”_

_“Nonononononono!!”_

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A lot of vids referenced in this one -3-
> 
> Isle of Dream: https://youtu.be/8eX6QfyRsao?t=6377  
> Fly me out: https://youtu.be/qInSBMQY8vw?t=3006  
> Marry me!: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tKnVHDI4_ds  
> Bad's stream: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zc-nm4itqfA


	6. I'm Coming To You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream knew that he was probably just overthinking things, but still. He can’t help worrying about his best friend. Crush or not, he’ll always care about George.
> 
> He just wants his friend to be happy.

Minecraft manhunts were Dream’s favorite kind of video. (And unsurprisingly, it seems to be the fans’ favorite too. His channel is blowing up because of those viral videos.)

And he thinks he knows why. It’s pretty obvious, actually. All that devising, practicing, making split-second decisions, reacting to sudden changes, and fighting for his life... It’s exactly like getting a taste of his old life. It gives him adrenaline he was beginning to miss, hasn’t felt in ages. It actually puts the skills he’s toned for years to the test, and sharpens them so Dream doesn’t have to worry about losing them.

The only thing that worries him is how quiet George goes at the end of each game. Dream knows he’s quiet because, compared to Sapnap and Bad who’re always either yelling indignantly or genuinely congratulating him, George just lets their voices make up for his silence. Dream wishes he could see George’s face, but because it’s not a livestream, he knows there’s no way for him to know what his friend is thinking.

Out of concern, Dream would text George after recording to ask if he didn’t like making manhunt videos. But his friend just expresses confusion (or pretends to, Dream thinks), deflecting the questions by praising Dream’s skills from the manhunt. Dream wished he could figure out what was on George’s mind.

To try to get some clue, Dream thinks back into his past life to recall times when George may have acted in this way, all silent and thoughtful and stiffly. Hm… well, there was _one_ time Dream could think of. An archer had pointed their arrow in George’s direction and, without a second thought, Dream had leapt in the arrow’s path and protected his friend. It wasn’t a big deal; the arrow didn’t even hit anywhere vital.

But despite his reassurances, for the next day, his friend had been all quiet and pink and… angry-looking. Dream didn’t understand it then, and he sure as hell didn’t understand it now. But god, then… was George mad at him now? Dream hopes that’s not the case. He didn’t take George to be the kind of guy that’d get mad for losing a game that was just for fun, but he can’t be sure.

 _Ughh_ it was so annoying to have a crush on a guy that was straight. Dream knew that he was probably just overthinking things, but still. He can’t help worrying about his best friend. Crush or not, he’ll always care about George.

He just wants his friend to be happy.

*✧･ﾟ: █▓╪╪╪╪ `(*¯w¯*)´↝ ╪╪╪╪▓█ *✧･ﾟ:

Bad props his head on his hand, letting out an exasperated sigh. George has been kind of quiet lately, and he knows he’s not the only one who’s noticed. Dream must’ve been worrying himself sick over George. It was so obvious what was going on, but the two refused to communicate, still continuing to be oblivious muffins. 

Bad can see Dream currently playing on Tommyinnit’s minecraft stream. George is nowhere to be seen. So… Bad figures now is a time as good as any to start giving things a shift in the right direction.

> _Badboyhalo:_ Hey, Wilbur?

> _Wilbur Soot:_ hm?

> _Badboyhalo:_ ask Dream if he’s free to hang out. he’s on tommy’s stream

> _Wilbur Soot:_?? why

> _Wilbur Soot:_ you want to join the stream with him ?

> _Badboyhalo:_ no, muffin! I mean hang out with _you_

> _Badboyhalo:_ irl

> _Wilbur Soot:_ what?

> _Badboyhalo:_ just do it!!

> _Wilbur Soot:_ wtf why

> _Badboyhalo:_ LANGUAGE

Bad rolls his eyes. It looks like he’ll have a little bit of explaining to do.

▂▃▅▇█▓▒░ ⛏(・◡・) █▇▆▅▃▂

With how suspicious Tommy and Wilbur were being, Dream had honestly been prepared to say no. Even though Wilbur offered to pay, with the coronavirus going on and everything, it didn’t make sense to fly to another country just to eat pizza and meet up with a friend for a day. It’d be too much trouble, and he’d have to make all sorts of plans, take time out of his day, pack things, etc. The list of cons goes on.

That is, until he remembered where Wilbur lives. The UK. Brighton.

Excitement bubbled in Dream as he connected the dots. Oh. The one single pro to this plan. Yes, this was the perfect excuse. Because that… 

That was where _George_ lives.

At that point, Dream didn’t really have a choice in the matter. The decision was already made for him. He was going to the UK to meet a friend. _Two_ friends. Well, right now it was just one, but Dream knew he could figure out a way to hint at getting George to join them. There’s no way his best friend would pass up a chance to see Clay in person… probably.

Dream wanted to see George so bad. Every day of his past life was spent at George’s side, so living the way he was now had kind of been driving him nuts. But now this golden opportunity had popped out, seemingly out of nowhere. Dream would be a fool to reject it. Dream would be an idiot to let go of a chance to see George in real life with his own eyes.

Unlucky circumstances may have ruined his chances of seeing George before, but if Dream made the preparations now with the pretense of hanging out with Wilbur, _no_ _one_ could stop him. Not even a worldwide-threatening disease.

Dream was unstoppable.

▂ ▃ ▄ ▅ ▆ ▇ █ ・◡・ █ ▇ ▆ ▅ ▄ ▃ ▂

 **Wilbur Soot** _@WilburSoot_ ・Jul 11

 **sometimes people lie.** **_@DreamWasTaken_ **

**Dream** _@DreamWasTaken_ ・Jul 11

**I thought it was 8PM EST wtf I’m on a plane**

**Wilbur Soot** _@WilburSoot_ ・Jul 11

**Okay! I’ll see you tomorrow at 8pm BST same Pizza Hut!**

**Dream** _@DreamWasTaken_ ・Jul 12

**ok tomorrow**

Dream rolls his eyes at Wilbur’s error before taking a deep breath to summon his courage. This was where things were going to get… interesting.

With trembling fingers, Dream types another tweet:

**Dream** _@DreamWasTaken_ ・Jul 12

**_@GeorgeNotFound_ **

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Why does it keep correcting Sapnap to subpoena... T_T  
> also askdsajkfh I have no idea how Wilbur acts or if he's on close terms with Bad, so bear with me here lol


	7. It's So Hard Not to Love Him

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “Dream…! Is that you?”
> 
> Clay turns and his heart stutters. There George stands, white t-shirt, loose pants, black shoes. George in real life. The whole world shrinks until it’s just the two of them, standing face-to-face.
> 
> God, he’s waited so long for this moment.

Okay. _Okay._ This was it. He’s there. He made it to the front of the damn Pizza Hut, a few minutes earlier than the agreed time.

Dream has to be honest. He’s nervous, jittery as hell, fiddling with his mask. The butterflies won’t stop tickling his insides, so he tries in vain to reason away his fears. Dream has talked with George a multitude of times before, and this should be no different. He lets out a huff to bolster up his confidence. He could handle it…!

Clay hops around a couple times to get his nerves settled. There’s no one else around, but he thinks he’d be getting funny looks if there were. After taking a couple deep breaths, he raises the drawing of his dumb smiling blob-figure he’d made a few minutes prior and takes a picture. Time to update twitter. The fans are already going crazy.

Dream thinks _he’s_ going to go crazy. It’s 8 in the morning, but in Florida it would be 3am. He hasn’t quite adjusted yet, but his tiredness ebbs away because of how excited he is.

He looks around for a moment to absorb the moment. The UK is a much cooler place than Florida. He was fine without a jacket, but he’s seen a couple strangers walking around in them, and he finds it amusing that such a thing can be done in the middle of summer. The sky has a light layer of grey clouds, but it does nothing to cover the sun, so it’s still quite bright out. And there’s just so much… _space_ everywhere. Maybe because the buildings are so spaced out from one another. He can also see the famous i360 tower, standing tall in the far distance.

The ambience of Brighton is calming. It gives Dream the sense of peace he needs to calm himself down.

Feeling awkward about being the first to show up, Dream leaves the location for a minute, opting to climb to a higher location in order to snap a surprise photo of the next person to arrive. There’s a parking garage right on the other side of the street, so he quickly climbs the stairs up the building.

Soon enough, Wilbur in his blue beanie makes it to the front of the pizza place. Taking advantage of the fact that he hasn’t been noticed yet, Dream cheekily snaps another photo and posts this one too. 

He can’t help snickering at his joke. _Minecraft Manhunt IRL_. Man, he wishes. That sounded fun as hell.

Dream climbs back down and says hello. Wilbur turns and looks… confused, then surprised to see Clay for the first time. Which hardly makes any sense. Wilbur’s the one that’s even taller than Dream, a literal _giant_ — an evolution of giraffe. If anything, he should be the one surprised to see Wilbur.

They talk for a while, and Dream gives him the piece of paper he drew the picture of himself on for Wilbur to hold up. _Snap_ goes another picture. The two briefly look over the twitter feed together, snickering when other minecraft youtubers showcase their confusion and complain about not being able to join the fray. 

Dream gets a text and when he sees who it’s from, he gulps. Right. George. He’d finally gotten over the awkward phase of talking to Wilbur, but almost forgot the whole reason he’s so nervous in the first place. George would be here in twenty minutes. Twenty minutes before he’d be face-to-face with his best friend.

The anxiety began to fade away into lighthearted bubbles as the inevitable meeting snaked around the corner, drawing closer and closer. Dream was excited. How would George react to seeing his face? he wondered. Would they handshake? Too formal. Hug each other? Hm… Too close? God, Dream was overthinking again.

Twenty minutes of aimless worrying pass, but George still has not shown up. Was Dream being too attentive for his friend’s arrival? Should he be less caring?

“ _Dream_ …! Is that you?”

Clay turns and his heart stutters. There George stands, white t-shirt, loose pants, black shoes. George in real life. George with his brown hair, brown eyes, and slightly pinkish face… and just _staring_. The whole world shrinks until it’s just the two of them, standing face-to-face. Dream smiles behind his mask.

God, he’s waited so long for this moment.

The two fall into a natural hug, and Dream feels like his heart explodes into confetti. George is so small that he fits perfectly into his embrace. Dream never wants to let go. “Geooorge, you’re so short!” he jokes.

“Wha—” his friend sputters, releasing from the hug earlier than Dream would’ve liked, “Dream, you… that’s the first thing you say to me?!”

Clay gives a slight wheeze. He loved picking on his cute crush. “Admit it! You’re the shortest out of all of us!”

“O-only because you two are _literally_ the tallest human beings in the universe…!” He complains, a comment that Wilbur chuckles at. Dream’s heart is doing cartwheels. He hasn’t been this happy in a long time.

They all grab some pizza and the two show Clay around the marina. They walk down the street to the pier, where row upon row of boats line the waters. It’s a really pretty sight.

Clay directs his two friends to sit down in front of the view, and he takes another picture.

_Beautiful, beautiful, beautiful,_ Dream can’t help chanting in his head.

They keep walking around. George really isn’t that different from what Dream knows about him from their long-distance interactions. Even still, it’s a bit awkward to start conversations with him, so Dream initially appreciated Wilbur’s presence as a buffer. Emphasis on _initially_.

Because as minutes dragged by, Dream felt himself loosen up, recalling a relationship akin to that of his previous life. Teasing George and poking fun at him was something he could do easily, like second nature. And being the cause of his best friend’s laughter was definitely a plus, making Dream’s inside all gooey and warm. It didn’t matter if they were recording, on teamspeak, or standing side by side. Dream knew he was being annoying with his antics, but he didn’t care. This was all he was good at.

Now if only they didn’t have to wear these masks. Dream was itching to see George’s smile.

Shaking his head, Clay slides out his phone with the intention to give another update on twitter. (Maybe he could make a vlog?) George, getting the same idea as him, pulls out his device.

Dream snickers, trying to hide his slight twinge of self-consciousness when he sees what George wrote. “ _George!_ What do you _mean_ I smell worse than expected?!”

“That’s what you get for calling me short!” His friend laughs giddily and runs away as Dream chases after him. Wilbur calls out to them, asking them to wait up. Neither of them do.

They run back the way they came until they reach the beach. It’s mostly deserted, but there are a few others milling around. Clearly out of breath, George collapses onto the pebbles. Dream wheezes, not out of exhaustion (he’d like to think he was in alright shape), but rather finding George’s overexaggerated actions amusing.

Wilbur finally catches up to them and, deeming this as a fair resting point, also sits. As he complains about the two running off, Dream sits down next to George. Their shoulders are brushing.

“Oh, sitting next to _George_ ,” Wilbur jokes slyly, “Reinforce my third-wheel-ness all the more.”

Clay blushes, and he thinks Wilbur noticed (much to his chagrin). Thankfully, George is too busy being embarrassed at the comment to notice. As his friend stammers in denial, Dream gets an idea and grins. “Look, I’ll sit next to you too.”

(For a moment, George looked disappointed. Or maybe Dream just imagined it. Yeah, that was probably it.)

Smoothing out the creases in the paper, Dream leans forward and places the drawing of himself from earlier next to Wilbur. The man snorts, placing rocks on the corner of the paper to keep it from flying off. 

George is looking at Clay, a little wide-eyed. “What?” Dream prompts, jokingly, “I’m not going to leave you for a third-wheeler.”

Wilbur gasps in mock hurt, and Dream watches as the happy light in George’s eyes return. That face… it’s a face that makes Dream’s insides swirl. He could watch George’s reactions all day, and never get tired of it.

His heart is so full, but it aches too. Dream summons all the willpower he can to crush it.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I did an unbelievable amount of research for this chapter, it isn't even funny—
> 
> Also, I was surprised at how easy it was to find their meeting location with just a few pictures. Anyone could've just done a little research to know where to stalk them, so I’m glad that no one interrupted them the day of their hangout ^w^
> 
> EDIT: SO AFTER LOOKING AT THE VLOGS I realize the events I detailed are wrong ;w; But it's ok, this is all just a fictional world anyway ^^


	8. It's Always Been You

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> “I love you, George.”
> 
> “I love you too.”
> 
> Clay clenches his teeth to push away the happiness he feels when hearing those words. “You don’t— you don’t understand.”

Around an hour later, and a lot earlier than Clay expected, Wilbur says he needs to depart. A sickly feeling crawls up Clay’s throat at this declaration. Was their day coming to an end here…?

“How long can you stay for?”

Clay blinks at George’s sudden question. “I don’t need to be anywhere… I’m basically free all day.”

“Okay,” his friend nodded, “I don’t have other plans either. Wanna hang out longer...?”

As quickly as it built up, the sickly feeling inside Clay disperses. “Yeah, sure.”

“Anything you want to do?”

They’re still sitting at the pebble beach. Clay opens his mouth, then pauses. “Let’s just… stay here.”

“Oh…” Dream can hear George’s confusion, but he doesn’t say anything about it. “Okay.”

They stay at that beach for another hour to stare at the colorful water. Or, Clay thinks it’s another hour. He’s not really paying attention to the time. They just fill the void of silence with idle chatter, joking about dumb things and laughing over past minecraft stunts. 

Clay tilts his head, peering at his friend out of the corner of his eye. He noticed it about half an hour ago, but George keeps averting his eyes when their eyes meet.

“Are you mad at me?”

“What?” George turns, looking surprised. “No. Why?”

Clay props his head on his hand. “You've been avoiding looking at me for the past hour.”

“W-well…” A tinge of pink spreads across George’s cheeks. If Clay didn’t know any better, he’d have thought George was flustered. But he was probably just caught off-guard or something. 

“Is it my face?” Clay jokes, feeling his insides pinch. “I’m just that ugly to look at?”

“N-no!” George says it so loudly, Clay actually jumps a little. “No, it’s… it’s not, Dream. You look fine.”

“You don’t have to lie,” Clay chuckles, “be honest.”

“I—!” George stumbles over his words, looking conflicted about something, “I _ am! _ ...sort of.”

Clay raises an eyebrow. “What? Sort of? What does that even mean?”

His friend opens and closes his mouth a couple times, like a gaping fish. Eventually, he just turns his face dowards. “N-nevermind…” he mumbles, “It’s nothing.”

“What? George…” Now Clay was curious. What did George mean? What did he think of his face? “Tell me! What do you mean?”

“Ugh, it’s just…” he covers his face with a hand, but it doesn’t hide his pink ears. “You look… familiar? Nice? You— you look… good.”

Now it’s Clay’s turn to blush. He tries to laugh it off. It’s just George being a sap, and nothing more. “You haven’t even seen my entire face.”

“Then show me?”

Clay’s breath catches in his throat. Slowly, he slides his mask down under his chin, self-conscious about how intently George was staring at him. 

“...Well? What do you think now?”

“...still beautiful…”

His answer is so quiet, Clay almost doesn’t hear it. But he does hear it. And it strikes pain and fear into his heart, because he remembers. It’s what the past George said to him as he was dying in Dream’s arms. It mirrored exactly what occurred, but it was a reminder that this George’s intentions would never be the same. Could never be the same. And Clay hated that he still had the audacity to hope that it  _ could _ be the same. That there was any room for doubt that George was straight, when there clearly wasn’t.

George is blinking at him in confusion again. “Why do you look at me like that?”

“What? Like what?”

“Like… you’re scared. Of something.”

Clay takes a shaky breath. He pulls his legs up to his torso and hugs them. “Well, maybe I am.”

George doesn’t seem to know how to answer to that. They both silently watch the waves as they crash up the shore, only to recede again. Again, Brighton was pulling that calming effect on Clay. He feels the tension in him ebb away, only to be replaced by quiet.

“I love you, George.”

His friend hesitates. Then to Clay’s surprise, he pulls down his mask and responds, “I love you too.”

Clay clenches his teeth to push away the happiness he feels when hearing those words. “You don’t— you don’t understand.” But Clay doesn’t correct the meaning like he did last time. What was the point?

Here he was, completely repeating the mistakes of his past life. It seemed no matter what he did, he was doomed to dig himself into a pitch-black hole he couldn’t climb out of. He was… hopeless.

“...I know.”

Clay turns his head, eyes wide with confusion. “What?” He knows? Knows what? That he doesn’t understand? Or…

“I know you love me.”

Clay waits for the punchline, the smile that would give away the fact he’s joking. But George just stares at him, looking strangely expectant but serious. And at that moment, Clay understood. George knew.

“...how?”

“You say on twitter that you came to meet Wilbur,” George explains sheepishly. “But, uh, you two didn’t really talk all that much today. We did just, basically, third-wheel him.”

Clay laughs a little at himself. Had he really been that obvious? He hadn’t even noticed. “...I’m sorry,” he mumbles into his arms, unable to look at his friend. “I… I know you’re straight.”

“Well,  _ yeah _ … I am straight.” The confirmation sends another spike through Clay’s heart. He knew he shouldn’t have kept his hopes up. God, he was so stupid. “But…”

...but? “But what?” Clay whispers.

His friend looks embarrassed. “But I… I might be gay for you, Clay.”

His heart stops, and time freezes. He can’t believe his ears. Clay stares. He can’t stop staring. George’s face is pink all over, but his eyes aren’t moving away anymore. His best friend is looking right at him. At just Clay, like he’s his entire world. 

He leans forward, George brushes away a strand of hair on Clay's forehead.

And their faces meet.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> :)


	9. He's Special

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Dream is special.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We're at the final chapter! To make it special, it's mostly in George's POV. Enjoy!

George had always known Dream was amazing.

Even when he had just met him, when his friend did all these stupid things in minecraft, when he was starting out with nothing to his name. Yes, sometimes Dream was a bit mean, a bit pushy, a bit of an ass. But even still, with no proof at all, George just _knew_ how special Dream was.

It took other people longer to realize. In actuality, most people _didn’t_ realize, even after Dream started to get some recognition. People didn’t really understand just how smart, creative, and amazing Dream was. No one understood him.

But George did.

The moment where Dream’s ability solidified to the eyes of the world was all thanks to the manhunts. The 3v1 videos they did with Bad and Sapnap gave the audience a taste of the real Dream. The Dream with a mind so sharp that he always slid out of trouble, escaped on half a heart, and never failed to make it out of a close-call. This was the Dream that George had known, always known, for so long. Anything Dream did or said, George understood him perfectly.

But it was… confusing. How _had_ George always known? What gave it away? Thinking about Dream gave this weird, achy familiarness that he didn’t understand. It’s like he’s known Dream for forever, when in fact it had only been about three years.

Maybe it was the way he laughed (those goddamn wheezes). Maybe it was his low voice. Maybe it was his affectionate attitude, or desire to hear George say he loves him back. It could’ve been the way Dream looked at him, the way Dream spoke to George like he was the most precious thing. The most beautiful, special person.

...Or it was probably the eyes. George knows he can't see color all that well, but nonetheless, he loved the color of Dream’s eyes.

At this very moment, with the two of them sitting at that beach holding hands, his head resting on his best friend’s shoulder, George feels like he really _has_ known Dream for forever. And it’s true that he doesn’t know how he knows, but he doesn’t care, because special people require special thought processes.

And Dream is by far the most special person in George’s life.

┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┤⛏(🔘.🔘)├┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴

“Listen, George is beautiful.”

George blushes at how pronounciated Dream made each word, unable to help the quirk of his lips at the sudden compliment. Ah, the stream was going to see this… 

Sapnap, however, appears indignant. “No, he’s not—”

“And he’s handsome—”

“He’s not—”

“And he’s smart—”

“He’s not—”

“And he’s kind—”

“He is _not_ kind.”

“And he’s _wonderful_ , he’s a wonderful friend.”

“—not kind, he’s _not_ kind.”

“Yeah, he _is_ _!_ He is!”

“No, he’s not.”

“And you need to start respecting him—”

The arguing goes on, but George is more than happy to let them keep at it, if it means he gets to hear Dream sing his praises over and over again. He could never get enough of knowing how special he is to his best friend.

┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┤⛏(🔘.🔘)├┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴

“GEORGE! WHAAT?”

“George, kiss me kiss me kiss me!”

George giggles as Sapnap chases after him in the game while Dream scrambles to get on the server.

“KISS ME!!!!” Sapnap screeches.

“Wait, George! My minecraft’s starting, it’s starting—”

“I’m ending the stream, Dream!” George smiles. He knew his actions would make his friend jealous to some extent, but he hadn’t expected Dream to be _that_ insistent to the point of rejoining the server.

“MY MINECRAFT’S LITERALLY STARTING, JUST WAIT A MINUTE!!!”

George chuckles as Sapnap continues to hit and chase him across the field. Their overreactions were hilarious. When Dream makes it onto the server, he teleports himself to George first thing.

“I’m on, I’m on! I’m here! GEORGE! PLEASE, I’m here!”

“George, _kiss us_!”

George stops running. “What do you want, Dream?” He asks again, knowing he’s putting his friend through an unnecessary struggle. He wanted to hear Dream request it again. He smiles cheekily when Dream hesitates, knowing just how much of an effect he has on his friend. 

“George, kiss me.”

“You can’t be wearing full diamond,” George smirks innocently.

At lightning speed, Dream unequipped himself. George almost laughs outloud — that had to be a world-record speedrun for taking off armor.

To reward his friend’s good behavior, George moves his cam and kisses Dream’s character on stream.

┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┤⛏(🔘.🔘)├┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴┬┴

“ _George,_ ” Dream whispers, “ _You look good in a suit._ ”

George tries not to smile, _he’s live streaming_ for goodness sake, but he’s doing a poor job of holding it back. Dream’s words had made his insides stir up happy bubbles. “Thanks, Dream.”

“ _You’re welcome_.”

George raises his eyebrows, barely holding back a snicker. Why was Dream whispering? “What else do you wanna say, Dream?” George asks, looking for Dream’s character on the server. He finds him, hidden away in the corner of a building.

“ _I like your tie_ ,” Dream continues.

A grin splits across George’s face. (He knew it was a good idea to wear a suit!) “Really?”

“ _It’s nice_ ,” Dream affirms.

George’s smile feels too wide on his face. He laughs, suddenly feeling embarrassed from Dream’s indirect complimenting. “Okay,” he smiles, waiting to see if Dream will say more.

“You look like _a_ _businessman_.”

“It’s because I _am_ a businessman,” George smirks, turning his attention back to the audience. “I am wearing the suit, as you can see. That _tells_ you that I’m a businessman. And _as_ a businessman, I’m telling you that you have a free prime subscription... _Please_ , click the subscribe button, and then you click prime!”

“It’s free,” Dream adds, “But actually, it _is_ free! You can, for _free_ , click subscribe and then click prime and it will give money to George for actually _no cost_ to you. You get to donate to your favorite streamer, which I’m sure is George, look at how handsome he is in his suit—”

George sputters, blushing again.

“—look at how skilled he is in minecraft, losing all the challenges that,” Dream wheezes, “he _loses_ …”

_Punz whispers to you: this is deffo flerting_

And George snickers, because yeah. If only Punz knew. Dream has always flirted with him before, and it always was just the two of them joking around. But now, with their mutual affections brought to light, it was _real._ They hadn’t told anyone yet, but it wasn’t like anyone else needed to know.

Only Dream knew, and George was more than happy with that outcome.

*✧･ﾟ: █▓╪╪╪╪ `(*¯w¯*)´↝ ╪╪╪╪▓█ *✧･ﾟ:

So, the two idiots had finally told each other.

Bad is satisfied. Surely, this had been one muffin of a ride. Contracts made with demons had to be balanced, after all. All evil had to be disguised in an act of good-will. When he first instigated that trade between him and Dream, he never imagined that the loophole he created would work. That the demons in the underworld would somehow manage to overlook his deed, an oversight they were now surely regretting.

Bad can’t return to the Underworld right now. He never was that good of a devil anyway, so taking a break ought to be good for him. But he’s more than okay with it, because now he has real friends he wants and likes to hang out with.

He’ll probably be staying up here for a while longer.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks so much for 200+ kudos! A large portion of this story was just me picking adorable DNF clips from George's streams and writing them out to my own wants, but it makes me so happy to hear that many of you still enjoyed that. I loved reading your comments, you guys are way too kind, and I appreciate each and every one of you readers for taking the time out of your lives to make room for my story~ :)
> 
> (Short plug but, this sure as heck isn't going to be my last DNF fic. In fact, I've already started my next one, and I've got a LOT of it written out already, meaning I'll be updating it nearly as frequently as I updated this one. So, be sure to check out my profile if you want to read more DNF fics from me!!)
> 
> I think that'll be all. Again, thank you all so much for reading! <3 I hope to see you again, in the comment section of my next fic! ^_^
> 
> Follow me on [tumblr](peppdream.tumblr.com) to get sneak-peeks for new fics: peppdream.tumblr.com
> 
> Vids referenced:  
> George is beautiful: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=KLpw1OuZ-bw  
> KISS ME: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VbC6rz3GYY8  
> A businessman: https://youtu.be/ZURHEkJ2bQE?t=8640  
> 


End file.
